by Joy Ellis
Dominic stepped back as if Joseph had struck him. ‘Really?’
‘Yes, but I want you to listen to me. You mentioned every adult’s right to run away, didn’t you?’
He nodded silently, his eyes not leaving Joseph’s.
‘Be prepared for that scenario to become real. And if that should be the case, it will be heartrending for you to know that she has stayed away voluntarily, and with full knowledge that you will have been frantic with worry. Can you deal with that?’
‘Do you know something, Joseph? Something that you are not telling me?
‘No, Dominic, I don’t, but I’ve seen what it can cause, and I just want you to prepare yourself.’
Dominic drew himself up. ‘If it gives me a final answer, then so be it. At least I’ll know, one way or the other.’
‘Good man. Now I have to get back, but leave this with me, and let me come to you if I have anything, okay? No haunting the police station, understood?’
‘Understood, but can I have your number, in case I remember something that could help you?’
Joseph hesitated for a moment, then took a gamble. ‘This is my direct line at the station, and below it is a mobile number. But that one is for emergencies only, and I mean that.’
‘You have my word, Joseph. Just find out what happened to my sister — please.’
* * *
Freddie Carver stared over the top of his glass at the man sitting opposite him. Mr Fabian was tall and well-built, with a head so closely shaved it almost looked varnished.
‘I wanted to thank you for the excellent work you did while I was away, and to assure you that when my organisation is fully up and running, there will be work for you on a regular basis.’
‘That is good to know.’ Fabian sat ramrod straight and looked directly into Freddie’s eyes, his face a lump of granite. ‘We aim to please.’
My friend, thought Freddie, nothing about you could be called pleasing. Fabian and Mr Venables made even him shudder. They were the coldest pair he had ever had the misfortune to meet. But . . . they got the job done.
‘At the moment, the job that is causing me most grief is an insignificant one, nothing you would undertake.’
‘Tell me about this “insignificant” problem.’
Freddie placed his glass on a coaster. ‘Alright. I hire three men on a two-year contract. I pay top rates. The work is simple, a little messy maybe, but straightforward enough given their capabilities. They’ve managed to louse it up.’
‘Replace them.’
‘We are only a month or so away from changing everything in the area where they are based. It’ll be a takeover on a grand scale. If they can hold it together for a little longer, they will be history, well, as far as my organisation is concerned.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘I have put them on a very short leash. In fact I expect an update from Lenny any time now.’
‘I could finish off whatever it is that they find so difficult.’
‘You are in a different league, Mr Fabian. This is work for the dross, and it’s something personal, not a part of the bigger operation.’
Fabian shrugged. ‘But they clearly can’t handle it.’ His eyes narrowed to slits. ‘I hate sloppy work. Listen, you have given me a lot of lucrative jobs in the past. I’m happy to slum it for a while, if it helps.’
Before Carver could answer, the telephone rang.
‘Can I get that for you, Mr Carver?’
‘Thank you, but no.’ Freddie eased himself painfully from the leather sofa and limped slowly towards the ringing phone. ‘But you can pour me another drink, Mr Fabian. I might need it.’
The voice on the other end was high-pitched and clearly disturbed about something. Freddie put a hand over the receiver and whispered to his guest, ‘Better make that a large one.’
‘Mr Carver, sir?’
He remained silent.
‘Boss? It’s Lenny. I’m afraid we’ve got a problem.’ There was a long pause. ‘Er, Vic’s gone missing, Mr Carver.’
‘What the hell do you mean missing? The job isn’t finished.’
‘The thing is, Mr Carver, he’s been in a right state since we saw you last. I think it has something to do with those women. The girls, you know? The fingers?’
‘Of course I know, you fool.’
‘He’s been acting really weird. Well, more weird than usual, ever since that foreign one got away.’
‘He was never supposed to keep her in the first place, was he? He knew exactly what he was supposed to do with her.’
‘I know, sir, but me and Ezra, we never knew anything about that, I swear to God. Anyway, earlier on we went out to that place of his, and all his stuff was packed up, ready to go, but he was nowhere to be found.’ The voice stuttered to a halt. ‘I’m really sorry, Mr Carver, but we’ve looked everywhere.’
‘I see.’ Freddie’s voice was soft and sibilant. ‘Now what kind of trouble do you think he got himself into?’
‘I really dunno, Mr Carver, sir. Vic isn’t all there. He’s an animal, you know that, but from the way he’s been acting . . . let’s just say if I was a woman on my own, I wouldn’t want to bump into him.’
Freddie seethed. For years, even while he was in Spain, everything had ticked along smoothly. Now, because that cretin Vic couldn’t keep his dick in his pants, Freddie was going to have to lose a lot of money, do something very distasteful, and no doubt shed a lot of unnecessary blood. He gritted his teeth. ‘Carry on as normal, Lenny. It will be sorted from this end. Vic never existed, understand? And you’ll have to do his job as well as your own.’
The caller gave a muffled gasp. ‘But, Mr Carver, I can’t! I . . .’
‘Business as usual, Lenny. Or you and Ezra get nothing. No cut, no money, no nothing, and if it gets to that point, I’d start looking over my shoulder if I was you. Do I make myself clear?’
‘Yes, sir. Perfectly.’ The line went dead.
Freddie accepted the tall glass Fabian handed him. Looking him full in the face, he said, ‘Well, Mr Fabian, it seems I do have a job for you after all. Do you by any chance remember someone called Vic?’
‘Tall, shabby clothes, sly-looking, rat-faced, with a serious personality disorder? Smells like rotting meat?’
‘That’s the one. Well, I’d like you to find him and explain that he is no longer in my employ.’
‘Terminate his employment permanently?’
‘Well, I’m not asking you to give him a P45, am I?’ He gave an evil grin. ‘So, if you’d be so kind?’
‘Oh, it’ll be my pleasure, Mr Carver, my pleasure. And rest assured, there will be no mistakes.’
* * *
Nikki had mixed emotions about all the activity in the Derbyshire area. Naturally she wanted the killer caught, but she had kind of adopted Lilli as theirs and felt a little miffed that the Fens had no part in the action.
Ben Radley seemed to be acting like some kind of super cop. He was trying to connect Freddie Carver to shady deals in his area, trace the magic tulip tree, interview recently attacked young women and find lost dogs. Nikki smiled to herself. The man had risen again, like a phoenix. She wondered if it was because Fern’s case was well and truly out of the filing cabinet at last, or was it down to the entry of a certain Cat Cullen into his life.
Nikki would dearly love to see Cat happy with someone special. The girl had been to hell and back, and apart from a few meaningless flings, she had allowed no one to get close to her since had been hurt. Now Nikki sensed a change in her young detective, and she wondered if there was anything she could do to help things along a little. She had to admit that there was something very likeable about Ben Radley — maybe it was those wonderfully expressive eyes.
She checked the time. Almost three o’clock, and after the late afternoon meeting she had planned to go out and do a little terrorising of a certain estate agent. She had never approved or indulged in matchmaking. Now, however, she thought she’d give it a go.
‘Cat! My office, please
,’ she yelled out of the door.
‘Ma’am?’ Cat hurried in.
‘I’ve got a little job for you, if you want?’
Cat’s face lit up. ‘You know me, ma’am. I love a challenge.’
‘I’d like you to get hold of DC Radley and see if he needs a hand. I’d really like to have some eyes and ears in the Derby camp right now, especially since this recent attack. I’m sure he can square it with his boss, and if not I’ll give him a ring myself.’
Cat nodded. ‘Good idea, ma’am. There’s a lot going on over there right now, and it is all connected to us really, isn’t it?’
‘Absolutely. So go ring him and keep me up to date, okay?’
As Cat hurried out of the office, Nikki allowed a smile to creep across her face. ‘Two birds with one perfectly aimed stone! Nice one, Nikki Galena!’
Joseph stood behind her looking somewhat puzzled. ‘Talking to yourself is not a good sign. And where is Cat going in such a hurry?’
‘On a quest, and I hope she finds treasure.’
‘Now I am worried. Have you been sniffing something from the evidence store?’
‘No, but I do feel a little high,’ Nikki frowned, ‘and, do you know, I quite like it.’
‘Should I take the four o’clock meeting for you, while you pop in to see the FMO?’
‘No, I’m good, thank you, Joseph.’ She flashed him a wild smile, and he left shaking his head.
* * *
Nikki stood in front of her depleted team. ‘Right, now, I want to make this quick. In the light of recent events in Derby, I’ve asked Cat to go back there to offer assistance, and also to keep us updated on progress after this recent attack on the woman named Zoë Wallace. We have drawn a blank with our attempts to identify Lilli and we have to assume that she is not local, and was possibly a runaway or a missing person, and that will make identification very hard indeed.’ She looked at Joseph. ‘Now I’m going to ask Joseph to fill you in on his theory about some of the girls on the Misper list being used in the sex trade, and how Freddie Carver may be behind it.’ She sat down and waved Joseph to the front of the room.
The whole team agreed that his scenario was indeed probable.
‘It is highly likely, given what we have found out about Carver working under cover,’ Yvonne said. ‘That was one of his old games — putting young girls in his clubs. And, according to our sources he has been accruing money hand over fist. He was clearly planning something.’
‘Why can’t we find where he is staying?’ asked Dave. ‘This is not exactly downtown Manhattan, is it?’
Niall raised his hand. ‘We think he moves around, Dave. Even the guy who sometimes drives for him picks him up at different locations every day. He really does not want anyone to get a fix on him.’
‘And he’s doing a rather good job of it,’ grumbled Jessie. ‘It’s really frustrating.’
Nikki looked at Joseph. ‘What about your visit earlier, regarding one of the missing women from Jessie’s list? Er, Dina someone? Does it need the team’s input?’
‘Not at this stage, ma’am. I need to do some more background research first, then I’ll let you decide if it’s worth a follow-up.’
‘Okay. Any other matters?’
Yvonne stood up. ‘We think Freddie is going out tonight, ma’am, and one of his men is going to try to follow him. My snout will let us know tomorrow if he was successful.’
‘Excellent. Let’s hope he heads west.’
Joseph was looking thoughtful. ‘I was wondering about us having a word with Raymond Leonard, as Mickey suggested? The Leonards could be helpful in tracing Carver.’
Nikki shook her head. ‘I think that should be a last resort. Things seem very different since Archie Leonard died, and I’m not so comfortable talking to his son.’
‘Fair enough, and anyway, I’m sure Mickey would pass on anything interesting.’
She stood up. ‘Okay, if there’s nothing else, off you go.’
Back in her office, Joseph frowned at her. ‘You didn’t hang about with that, did you?’
Nikki pulled on her jacket. ‘Got an appointment. Can I leave you in charge?’
‘I’m intrigued.’
She grinned at him. ‘I’ll bet you are. See you later.’
Nikki left the station.
Jacob’s Mere was a twenty-minute drive, and Nikki, pleased to be alone for a while, began to unwind and enjoy the familiar countryside that she so loved. The town soon gave way to a scattering of houses and then to acres of fertile farmland. A line of pylons stretched into infinity across the miles of carefully farmland. To her they always looked like giant metal men, marching ever onward towards the horizon.
Geoff Arden was already there when she arrived, and she saw immediately why Tamsin and Niall were so enamoured of the cottage. But she also saw the enormous amount of work that would have to be done.
Geoff held out his hand. ‘Good to see you, Nikki.’
‘You too, and thanks for coming out at short notice.’
‘It does have promise, doesn’t it?’ Geoff stared up at the peeling paintwork.
‘Yes, if you have enormous visionary powers, and a small fortune to spend.’
‘Let’s go inside.’
The door opened directly into the front room, as was the case with so many fen cottages. Nikki knew at once that this was where Joseph’s daughter was going to live when she was married. It was in a state, no denying that, but it would be a challenge worth taking on. ‘Geoff? Who is the owner?’
‘Remember Patricia Lombard, that was? In the year above us?’
‘Odd eyes and big dandruff?’
Geoff nodded, ‘That’s the one. She still has those eyes, but fortunately the dandruff’s gone. She married one of the Benton boys. This was his grandmother’s house.’
‘Did you speak to her about the price?’
‘Yes. She’s a bit sticky, but I think she’ll drop a little.’
‘She’d better, if she wants a sale. This place is in need of serious attention.’
‘Most of it is cosmetic.’
Nikki snorted. ‘Bollocks! It’ll take more than a coat of magnolia and a nice lampshade to make this liveable. And I haven’t even seen the bathroom yet.’
‘Ah, well . . .’
‘It does have a bathroom, doesn’t it?’
‘Oh yes.’
‘Show me.’
They went up the stairs and along a short landing.
‘Originally it didn’t have a bathroom, but the smallest bedroom was converted into one, back in the fifties.’ Geoff opened the door.
‘Damn! Talk about pink!’ Nikki’s eyes widened as she took in the pink tiles, pink flooring, pink bath, basin and ah yes, a pink toilet. ‘So this is at least fifty-five years old?’
‘At least. Very retro, isn’t it?’
‘That’s one way of putting it.’ Nikki tried and failed to imagine Niall doing his morning ablutions in this candy-floss nightmare.
They checked the bedrooms and then went back downstairs.
‘It has around half an acre of land, and there are two outbuildings — a garage and a small workshop.’
Nikki looked across the fields to where the tower of a ruined windmill still stood. All around was arable land interspersed with drainage ditches. Right now the soil was rich brown, ploughed in deep furrows. There were small clusters of trees, brambles and wild briar roses along the lanes. Idyllic, thought Nikki. She pictured what it would be like at dawn, or when the sun was setting against the big Lincolnshire sky. Not everyone would like it, some would see a lonely and inhospitable place with no near neighbours, no transport and no shops.
‘What’s her best price, Geoff?’
‘She’s looking for a hundred and forty, nothing less.’
‘And did Niall Farrow say what he had in mind?’
‘Lower than that, I’m afraid.’
Nikki stared at the old property thoughtfully. ‘It needs rewiring, the damp course attended to,
that chimney needs rebuilding and the roof wants attention. Even if the bathroom didn’t give you a migraine, it is worn and damp, the tiles are lifting and the bath is stained to the point where I wouldn’t bath a mangy dog in it. And it will have to be redecorated, both inside and out. I think Patricia needs a reality check, don’t you?’
‘She sees it as an ideal opportunity for someone to do a restoration job, and given the size of the plot, I think she’ll hold out.’
‘Then this place will sit here until it rots. If it was a bequest, then she’s not reliant on this to buy a property of her own, and the Bentons aren’t short of money. Isn’t it better to have money in the bank, even if it is a bit less than you planned?’
‘I totally agree, and believe me, I don’t want to see it festering on my books forever.’ Geoff smiled at her. ‘I’ll see what I can do, Nikki. No promises, because she’s not the sort of woman who’ll be moved by a sob story. The old, “newly-wed young couple and their dream cottage, if only they could afford it,” wouldn’t wash with her.’
‘Then try her with first-time buyers, good jobs and the main earner being a police officer with a guaranteed good credit rating. If she’s that money-orientated she should realise she’s onto a winner.’
‘She’s a shrewd business woman.’
‘Or a greedy bitch?’
Geoff laughed. ‘Possibly. No — more like probably.’
They walked back to their cars. Nikki bade farewell to her old school friend. ‘Give it your best shot, won’t you? This is for the daughter of my closest friend. She’s marrying a lad who works with me, and I happen to think a lot of him.’
‘Of course I will. I’ll ring you later and tell you what she says.’
‘I appreciate it. Now I’d better get back to murder and mayhem.’
Geoff grinned. ‘Me too. The estate agent business can be pretty cut-throat sometimes.’
Nikki drove back to the station and spent the rest of her shift in her office, writing up reports and checking on incoming updates. Just as she was thinking about going home, the phone rang.
‘How does this sound, Nikki?’ Geoff rattled off a price.
‘It sounds like music to my ears, my friend. However did you get her to agree?’
